WASHINGTON (CNN) - New York Sen. Hillary Clinton released the first political ad of her presidential campaign on Monday, promising to make health care affordable and criticizing President Bush for ignoring people that she calls "invisible."

"Americans from all walks of life across our country may be invisible to this president, but they’re not invisible to me, and they won’t be invisible to the next President of the United States," Clinton said in the ad.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, once a presidential candidate and now a national co-chair of her campaign, unveiled the spot at a news conference Monday morning in Des Moines.

"Too many Americans - middle class families, families without health care and child care, returning veterans – have been invisible to this President and this government,” he said. “That will change when Hillary Clinton becomes President.”

soundoff(20 Responses)

There is a reason Canada is moving towards privatized medicine. Too bad Mrs Clinton isn't bright enough to look into why that is the case. She also doesn't seem to get that Americans aren't willing to pay the higher taxes to support a government run health program.

Too bad nobody has the brains to point out that part of the problem with the current system is the fact that malpractice insurance continues to rise. The lawyers are part of the driving force behind health costs continuing to rise, but I guess when half your politicians are former lawyers they tend to want to ignore that fact.

"Americans from all walks of life across our country may be invisible to this president, but they’re not invisible to me, and they won’t be invisible to the next President of the United States,"

She still doesn't get it, she's not running against the current president. She also has the crystal ball out, like she already KNOWS who the next president will be.

I think the best way for people to evaluate who should be the next president is to have them submit an essay about why they should be elected, their ideas and plans to implement them to a common area for review by voters. The hook, is that the submissions would be anonymous and the public could score candidate A,B,C....ZZ accordingly. Then after choosing the one you believe has the most realistic proposals and means to accomplish them, the identity of your choice would be revealed.

The current system is so rapt with money and smear techniques that the truth gets buried and it becomes a battle of buzzwords and cover-up tactics. Haven't we had enough of that? The problem with my idea is, how many citizens would take the time necessary to complete such an endeavor, after all, it would take away rom time used to get the lowdown on who the real father of Anna Nicole's baby is.

"Services for older people with mental health problems are inadequate, an independent panel has warned.., due to the years of under-funding and age discrimination in mental health services preventing people from obtaining support and treatment in the NHS."

This, for 100% of UK citizens.., well, except for the politicians and very rich.

Meanwhile.., 15% of US citizens have no healthcare "insurance", and that's insurance for the best healthcare in the world. ie.., 85% of us have it.

Figures don't lie, but liars sure can figure.
"Only" FORTY-FIVE-Million Americans are uninsured. They thank you for your indifference and for reducing them to a percentage. They won't be invisible to President (Hillary) Clinton!

2)Should you have to mortage your home to pay for major medical issues? no

3)Malpractice suits are a fallacy; California introduced a cap on malpractice suits long ago, but insurance rates have still gone UP. It's a vicious cycle that needs to be corrected, or none of us will be able to afford it. Big business recognizes this now, as insurance costs are eating into the bottom line.

Just like "republicans" saying I HAVE it, I dont' want anything to change, and who cares about the people who don't.

Well, Chip, apparently you are one of the fortunate ones. If you don't have insurance, who cares what percentage you fall into. 45 mill is a lot of children, women and MEN. You men make me ill. You have had over 200 years to run this country and look where we are today. War we don't want, health care we don't have, no border security, corruption in our government the likes most of has never seen. Yes, ya guys have done a bang up job. NOT.

Destardi just like a democrat to say that someone is a republican who doesn't agree with all your parties talking points.

Some of us are independents who are well aware of the fact that both parties are full of crap.

Just because some states have caps on malpractice suits doesn't mean that is the case elsewhere. Seeing as how many insurance companies operate in numerous states they pass the cost onto their customer base.

Some of those big bad drug companies that Clinton hates so much have free drug benefits for those who can't afford them

When it all comes down to it, health insurance should be a state issue. The goverment should be making sure that insurance companies are breaking the law not using socialist style price enforcement. Price controls don't work, just ask the Iranians and the people of Zimbabwe.

If you really want price controls that much you can always move to Canada. After you develop a non-life threatening problem, please write back and tell us how much you enjoy being on a long waiting list to get treated. If you want to try something even better go to Cuba where the government rents there doctors out for oil and/or money from the various South American countries.

Feel free to call me a Republican to continue that streak of being wrong. Hell if you want you can call me a nut, I really don't care. Because people like you always like to call people names when they have a mind oof their own and don't need any major new media to tell them what to think.

You don't have to be for Hillary Clinton, but please get your facts straight. Canada is NOT moving towards private health care. Our (Canadians) greatest fear is to have an American style healthcare system. The only people who think America has the best health care in the world are rich americans.

You wrote, "You men make me ill. You have had over 200 years to run this country and look where we are today. War we don't want, health care we don't have, no border security, corruption in our government the likes most of has never seen. Yes, ya guys have done a bang up job. NOT."

– – – – – – – – – – –

Mary – Women have been serving in Congress since 1916. Women had their right to vote affirmed in 1920 with the addition of the 19th amendment to the Constitution.

Are you must be as sharp as a marble to make such a sexist statement – putting the blame of all things on "men".

Oh – by the way... WHO passed the 19th Amendement? (MEN), WHO voted to affirm Roe V Wade on the Supremem Court? (MEN), WHO fought and died in WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam? (MEN).

These men died so you could have the freedom to make such pathetic statements. Have a little respect!

A socialist/marxist/bolshevik will always be a socialist/marxist/bloshevik.
The "Hillary's" in this country will never understand the concept of capatalism. The federal government does nothing well with the only exception being eating our tax dollars for pork spending – "where's the Fence we paid for?" The less the feds are involved in our daily lives the better off we all are. Europe has proven socialism a failure. Seems Europe always takes the hard way.

What a crock. I will be invisible to her as she tends to have very mean words for anyone who has conservative values. I am middle class and I can afford to have health insurance because I make it a priority. If someone doesn't choose to make it a priority, why should everyone else pay for that choice? Maybe those people should try living without a tv in every room or heck maybe eat out a couple less times a week. Better yet, maybe people should think of their ability to support their children before making the choice to have children? I for one do not need Hillary Clinton or anyone else to help me. I can take care of myself.

Is it just me, or is Mrs Clinton trying to turn herself into Princess Diana – The People's Princess – in this ad?

Whatever, I still don't believe she cares about anyone but herself. Many NYers have been feeling pretty invisible to her, especially since she's spent most of her time as a Senator campaigning rather than representing us. See her falling effectiveness review at: http://www.empirepage.com/releases/062006.html

Mary from Pinetop, North Carolina, takes me to task saying the following:

"Well, Chip, apparently you are one of the fortunate ones. If you don't have insurance, who cares what percentage you fall into. 45 mill is a lot of children, women and MEN. You men make me ill. You have had over 200 years to run this country and look where we are today. War we don't want, health care we don't have, no border security, corruption in our government the likes most of has never seen. Yes, ya guys have done a bang up job. NOT."

All this after I simply solved a math problem to clarify something for another poster. Where did that bitterness come from? Apparently I am fortunate, because I can calculate a percentage! By doing so, I am also cold-hearted. What's the difference, saying fifteen percent vs. 45 million. Some here have said, "Oh, they just become a percentage to you" and that is somehow worse than people being 'just a number' to the politicians?

Listen to politicians speak some time, all they do is throw out numbers. And, most of the time, the numbers they throw around are so jacked up so they can make the point fit in line with THEIR agenda.

Personally, I haven't been to the doctor since 1994, when I was in the military and had to have mandatory annual physicals.

So, I've been blessed.

But where do you come up with the statement that if you don't have insurance, who cares what percentage you fall into? The launch a tirade against men. What a non-sequitir.

"A socialist/marxist/bolshevik will always be a socialist/marxist/bloshevik.
The "Hillary's" in this country will never understand the concept of capatalism. The federal government does nothing well with the only exception being eating our tax dollars for pork spending – "where's the Fence we paid for?" The less the feds are involved in our daily lives the better off we all are. Europe has proven socialism a failure. Seems Europe always takes the hard way."

The only reason socialism hasnt worked is because Americans havent tried it yet, were smarter than those Europeans, and our saviours from the Democratic party will make everything just great. No more war. Everyone will be equal regardless of their effort, oh it will be just perfect. I can see it now.. Oh and anyone who votes republican will be given the benefit of reeducation, because they are clearly too stupid to vote democrat.

it isnt just lawsuits that cause high health care it is also the hospital charging health insurence outrages costs. example i went to the emergancy room it cost me 500.00 for a doc that i never saw in the first place,that doctor never came into the room so it cost my health ins. 500.00 for him to sign off my forms. also they chared me 150.00 for a bandage that was the size of 4inx 4in. then they charged me 850.00 just to sit in a room. then 274.83 for supplies now tell me you do the math. tell me why are hosptials getting away with that. And believe it or not we do pay taxes for helthcare its called medicaid, and also state funding is used for wic. i dont mind paying extra taxes if that gets me a free healthcare and a good one. The problem with people these days, is no one cares who comes into office it is always about the race of democrat and republican. As a young voter bush has made me to never vote again b/c some how there was always aproblem with the voting prcedures. I voted for cliton during his second term b/c i believed he did good for the poeple and world. Thanks to bill we now have the family leave act, and min wage went up and also he tried again but was turned down by the congress. Also i saw that he made changed for world peace. Bill presented the country with professonalism. Am i saying he is a saint, no. But really who is. I didnt care and i didnt want to know about his sex life. but it seem that people didnt have much of it so they wanted to know someone elses. As i can say about Bush, well somehow we got the village idiot. Please tell me what has Bush done for this country. other then omg we get more taxes back. Those taxes are taken away for other things are very usful, such as grants for school, wic programs Etc.Some states lose tax funding as well.

We have "socialized" schools and "socialized" libraries. Why are we so afraid of "socialized" health care? All we stand to lose is incredible gouging by greedy bureaucrats, doctors and the "write our own figures" pharmaceutical industry.

When we look at the countless Americans who despite paying heavily for their insurance end up uncared for or even dead simply because the health care provider decided they prefer saving cash to saving lives, something is wrong.

A National Health Care system is as good as privatized social security would have been bad. We need to start thinking WE instead of ME, then it all sounds perfectly logical.

I agree with Dave from California. As a health care worker I've seen many Canadians cross the border to get the care they had to wait for or couldn't get in their own country. We need reform in the courts. Stop suing good doctors so they won't be forced to practice defensive medicine which in turn costs everone more. WE NEED LAW REFORM ! We also need health insurance reform. Private insurance makes millions every year in profit and passes their savings onto no one but themselves, while doctors are fighting for their reimbursements every day !